Humanitarian & Aid
Casals & Associates, a DynCorp International company, today announced that it has been awarded a position on a multiple award, indefinite quantity contract (IQC) to support U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) transition initiatives in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean as part of the Support Which Implements Fast Transition IV (SWIFT IV) program.
“Casals has successfully supported previous iterations of the SWIFT program over the last decade,” said George Krivo, senior vice president, DynLogistics. “We are excited to continue this important work as an implementing partner of USAID.”
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Help is on the way to areas of the Philippines devastated by Typhoon Haiyan, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development and humanitarian relief groups. USAID provides support for natural disaster preparedness and relief by working in close partnership with the Government of the Philippines, the Red Cross, NGOs, the private sector, and the U.S. military.
The U.S. Government (USG) is providing $20 million in immediate humanitarian assistance to benefit typhoon-affected populations, including the provision of emergency shelter, food assistance, relief commodities, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) support.
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AECOM Technology Corp. has won a $110 million contract to provide the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) with conflict mitigation support services for their work in South Sudan. The South Sudan Viable Support to Transition and Stability program builds on a previous initiative that AECOM launched in 2009 in aid of political and peace processes before and after South Sudan’s independence from the Republic of Sudan in 2011, AECOM.
"AECOM’s previous conflict-mitigation experience on various USAID-funded programs in the area since 2007 positions us well to make the VISTAS program a success,” said AECOM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John M. Dionisio. “We are excited by the opportunity to help create further stability for the people of South Sudan.”
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The U.S. foreign aid agency spent nearly one-quarter of its $203 million budget for promoting stability in Afghanistan without issuing a single community grant as the program was designed to do, according to a watchdog report released on Monday. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John F. Sopko found that the U.S. Agency for International Development spent almost $50 million of its Stability in Key Areas (SIKA) funding on workshops and training sessions instead of projects that would directly address instability in the region.
“It’s troubling that after 16 months, this program has not issued its first community grant,” Sopko said in a statement. “This looks like bad value for U.S. taxpayers and the Afghan people.”
Sarah Wines, who is USAID’s acting mission director for Afghanistan, said in a response to the report that the findings showed a “fundamental misunderstanding of SIKA’s purpose” and that the awarding of grants in and of itself is not the most important element of the program.
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Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) response to information that DOD, USAID, and the State Department supplied in response to SIGAR’s request for their 10 most- and least- successful programs and projects in Afghanistan. The letter noted difficulties in each agency’s responsiveness. SIGAR addresses DOD, DOS, and USAID:
Dear Secretary Kerry, Secretary Hagel, and Administrator Shah: On March 25, 2013, I wrote to you asking that your agencies provide SIGAR with information on what each of you considers to be the 10 most successful and 10 least successful projects or programs within your agency in the U.S. effort for reconstruction of Afghanistan, supplemented with explanations of selection and evaluation criteria for your choices. A copy of that letter is attached.
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